Thread-severing mechanism for automatic looms.



A. G. KOEOHLIN. v THREAD SEVBRING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC LQOMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1912.

Patented July 21, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATEfiT @FFTQE.

ALBERT GEORG KOECHLIN, OF BA SEL, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 DRAJPER COMPANY, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914i.

Application filed August 10, 1912. Serial No. 714,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT GEoRo KoncH- LIN, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, and resident of Basel, Switzerland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Thread- Severing Mechanisms for Automatlc Looms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to a device for use with automatic looms for severing the trail-' ing threads of the spent and fresh bobbins each time the change of bobbin is eifected, this being carried out by means of a movable cutter, which, on the release of a tension'device, is projected by the latter against the lay, and is subsequently returned by the beat up of the latter.

The majority of known devices of this kind operate in such a manner that on the inception of the-bobbin exchange operation and the consequent release of the tension mechanism the cutter projected forward by the latter is opened and pressed backward on the succeeding beat up of the batten and closed so as to sever the thread lying between the blades. These devices all possess the disadvantage that, when the weft thread disadvantage. 40

is loose, it frequently does not enter between the blades of the shears so that it is not severed. To obviate this the blades of the shears'are made very long so that they ofier a large angle when opened, the length being in most cases so great that they project through the reed, and although in this position the weft thread cannot miss them, yet this arrangement, from another -point of view, as for example, alterations in the width of fabric, constitutes a considerable Now, the present invention is based upon quite another mode of operation. In accordance with the present invention the severing of the nearly spent thread extending from the selvage of the cloth to the shuttle in the neighboring shuttle box at the magazine side of the loom does not take place until after the thread has been beaten up by the lay so that the thread is securely seized and severed. As a consequence the cutter can be made of quite small dimensions. The cutter is located close to the selvage so that it cuts the spent weft close to the cloth; and the cutter acts twice in succession so that it cuts the freshly inserted thread close to the selvage as well as the nearly spent thread. The improved cutter cooperates with a thread cutting shuttle .feeler which is organized to grasp the nearly spent thread between the shuttle box and the cloth, thus aiding-in holding the spent thread taut for the action of the selvage cutter.

The drawin illustrates one form of apparatus embo ying the invention.

In the said drawing: Figure 1 illustrates the device diagrammatically as applied to a 160m. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 show the device in side elevation with the parts in difierent positions, and Figs. 5 and' 6 show the construction of a shuttle-feeler which works in conjunction therewith.

On the self-acting temple frame a (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) there is fitted a slidable cutter b the movable blade of which is controlled by a guide 0 and is moved to the closed position by a spring (Z when it has slid off the said guide. The carrier 6 for. the cutter b, which pivoted upon a pin z but is also slidable I with respect to the latter for a certain fixed distance. It is connected through the me: dium of a rod j, having a slot 51', with an arm in upon a shaft m, which under the control of the usual weft feeler, executes a short backward movement of rotation on the introduction of the bobbin exchange operation, and thereby not only releases the pawl lever 2' from the tooth f, but at the same time draws it backward through the medium of.a stop 2' from its locking position. This turning movement of the shaft m also causes a shuttle feeler lever 0 to turn forward, the said lever being arranged on the same side of the loom as the cutter, (Fig. 1), but nearer the I the cutter carrier) when the shu 1 usual bobbin transferrer. It is provided with a knife ina notch 0 (Figs. 2 and 6) and with a fork g which is pivoted upon the lever 0 and can be depressed by means of an arm 7 on the beat-up movement of the batten in order to effect a severing of the thread in the immediate neighborhood of the shuttle. The limb of the fork g directed toward the cutter b at the same time serves as a clam ing device for the purpose hereinafter escribed.

The operation of the device described is as follows: As soon as under the action. of the weft feeler a bobbin exchange operation is entered upon, the shaft m is turned in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 2} whereby on the one hand they pawl lever 2' 1s disengaged from the slidable cutter and drawn backward into the position shown in Fig.3 and on the other hand, the shuttle feeler lever 0 (Fig. l) is turned toward the batten. By reason of the disengagement of the lever 2' the open cutter b is released and is pro'ected toward the batten by the spring h at t e same time being closed. The lay then beats up with the shuttle under the bobbin transferrer, and presses the cutter 6, while opening the same, back to the initial osition through the medium of the reed w ich directly engages the cutter carrier at e (or in a modified form through the medium of the beam of the e i rectly picked, the batten presses a against the arm a of the shuttle feeler lei cl 0 (Fig. 5), and thereby depresses the fork q over the knife 7) of the lever 0 above which by the described movement of the batten, weft thread has been laid in the notch in order to cut 0% the thread at this position of the shuttle feeler lever, while the thread is still clamped in by the limb of the fork g direct ed toward the cutter Z). On the -following return movement of the batten, the cutter 2) follows it, closes and cuts the beaten up and consequently tense thread which is retained on the proper side of the shuttle feeler lever o by the limb of the fork g acting as a clamp ing device, which fork has not been completely freed from the batten. The thread portion between the cutter and the shuttle feeler lever is then finally free, and falls downward out of the path of the returning batten while the thread hanging from the bobbin to be changed and on this side freed from the fork g is sufficiently short to be able to follow the bobbin on its ejection without fear of breakage. Immediately after the severing of the thread, the transverse shaft m is returned to the position shown in Fig. l, the pawl lever i is turned downward without owing to the slot j in the rod ;i-"' being pushed forward, while after the shooting in of the thread of the new bobbin, the lay which is again beating up, pushes back the cutter b at the same time opening it, the.

tooth f of the said cutter, howdver, as shown in Fig. 4, not coming into engagement with the pawl lever 2' so that the cutter on the returning movement of the lay can move forward with this latter, in order to close and sever the threaded-in thread of the new bobbin. The cutter in this last operation, draws forward the pawl lever i by means of the auxiliary tooth g in order to return the said pawl to its normal locking position whereby on the next beat of the batten and cutter being again pushed backward, its tooth f engages with the pawl lever i so that after the termination of the complete cycle of operations the cutter is again held in the disengaged position shown in Fig. 2.

It will be obvious from the foregoing deseription that by the movable cutter b both the threads on the spent bobbin and onthe fresh bobbin are cut ed in the beat up position, that is to say, when they are lying tense so that their severing is insured.

Vi hat I claim is:

1. In a weft-thread severing mechanism for automatic looms, the combination of a shuttle bobbin exchange device, a movable carrying slide having a primary locking and a secondary tooth, a weft-thread cutter mounted on said slide, a locking lever to engage the primary locking tooth of said slide in an inoperative rear position thereof,

said locking lever being rotatably and slidably mounted upon a pivot, means to move said cutter slide out of its rear position into a forward position when unlocked, returning means dependent on the batten for utilizing the beating movement of the latter to bring said cutter slide back to its rear position, operating means for said cutter to open it in its rear position and to close it when moved forward out of this position, and inq terconnecting means between said bobbin exchange device and said locking leverarranged to so control the latter when a bobbin exchange is set into operation that the lock slide and simultaneously withdrawn out of, its locking position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. ln weft thread severing mechanism for automatic looms, the combination of a shuttle bobbin exchange device, a movable carrying slide having a primary loclrin g and a secondary tooth, a weft-thread cutter mounted on said slide, a locking lever to en- 1 ing lever may be disengaged from. the cutter gage-the primary locking tooth'of the said a slide in an inoperative rear position thereof, saidlocking leverbcing rotatably and slid; ably mounted upon a pivot, means to move said cutter slide out of its rear position into a forward position when unlocked, returnmg men ns dependent on the batten for out the beating movement of the latter Dung said cutter slide back to its rear position, operating means for said cutter to toward the aforesaid Weft-thread cutter until the thread is severed by the latter,

substantially as and for the purposede- 15 scribed.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 6th day of July, 1912, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT GEORG KOECHLIN.

Witnesses GEO. GIFFoRn, AMAND RI'I'IEB. 

